Australia’s only longitudinal survey measuring the impact of the NQF needs your help!

The Trends in Community Children’s Services (TICCS) survey is an important advocacy tool for those early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in the Australian Community Children’s Services (ACCS) network. Services who complete the survey will go into the draw to win a $500 Winc voucher. 

At present, not enough services have completed the survey, meaning the data which results from the submissions is currently invalid. Given the power of the data which is drawn from TICCS, and used by ACCS to lobby for positive outcomes in the ECEC sector, it is imperative that as many services as possible take part. 

Wave six of the survey – the final wave which has been organised thus far – is currently open and seeking comment from not for profit services around Australia, ahead of the deadline of Sunday 14 February. 

Previous data has been used to defend the National Quality Framework (NQF) during the review period in 2014, and to advocate for the sector in response to the Jobs for Families package.

The 2019 survey yielded data that provided strong information about the quality of not-for-profit services, accessibility and educational leadership. 

In the 2018 Red Tape Inquiry Interim Report, the committee noted “insufficient evidence” to support staffing ratios and qualifications as a quality component of the NQF. TICCS, a spokesperson from the Community Child Care Association (CCCA) said, is the data that will provide the evidence base to protect the sector from future changes which may be detrimental to children and families, as well as ECEC professionals. 

“It’s vital for community based, not-for-profit services to provide their input to ‘ensure our politicians sit up and take notice of the evidence that the NQF works’,” a CCCA spokesperson said.  

Directors, coordinators and nominated supervisors of not-for-profit services are invited to “add their voice to the research, and defend the future of the NQF”. This includes managers in not-for-profit long day care services, outside school hours care, vacation care, family day care, kindergartens/preschools, occasional care, multi-functional Aboriginal child care services and mobile services.

The survey closes Sunday 14 February, and can be completed here. One representative from each participating children’s service is eligible to enter.

For more information, or to complete the survey, please see here.